


Pride's End

by leviathanmirror



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 01:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3632046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leviathanmirror/pseuds/leviathanmirror
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabela, Varric, Merrill,  Hawke, and the fight at Pride’s End.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pride's End

Sheer force of will keeps her from retching when she hears the crunch of metal from the other side of the cave.

Hawke is doing what Hawke always does: protecting everyone else on the field. They don’t have Anders though, he’s probably off ranting in Darktown about mages instead of being where he’s useful, as usual.

She creeps up behind the Pride Demon and slices at the back of its knee as best she can before darting out of its reach. Her suspicions are confirmed when she catches a glimpse of Hawke standing like a sentinel in front of Merrill, the left shoulder of her armor caved and leaking blood.

Varric and Bianca are on the other side of the cave against a back wall. He’s going for the knees too. It seems to be the only damn weak spot they can reach with its head turned away from them.

Hawke is best when she’s actually swinging her sword but she won’t do it now. She’s damned insane but she’d die before she left one of the others unprotected.

Merrill is being more aggressive than usual, casting curse after curse and lightning spell after lightning spell. Isabela has to be quick to dodge some of her lightning and still get a good swing in at the Pride Demon.

Quick she can do. The damn thing isn’t taking nearly enough damage to stop it. Merrill could get out of there, if she wanted so Hawke could go on the offensive, with that viney spell of hers but Isabela and Varric are no protection and the Demon wants her first.

Hawke, mad woman that she is, probably told Merrill not to use it.

Aveline would solve this problem, easy; take Hawke’s place like the true-blooded guardian she is and Hawke would be free to help Varric and Isabela. There’s a powerful ache in her chest, a rawness in her throat. She wishes Aveline was there.

They’re losing.

The break they need comes in the form of Dog digging his teeth into the Demon’s ankle and holding on like his life depended on it.

Or his master’s. It looks like mad loyalty and protectiveness runs in the family.

The Demon lets out a roar that shakes the walls of the cavern and Varric goes for the throat, Isabela for the knee with both blades.

Merrill’s curse freezes it like that and Hawke damn near takes the other leg off; Isabela finally feels like things are working how they should. All of them together, unstoppable.

The Pride Demon falls. The rush of success, of survival is short lived.

Hawke bleeds, Merrill weeps, she and Varric stand back helpless.

It doesn’t feel like a victory.


End file.
